NUMA Water System - 14 Schools
Ghana is one of the most densely populated countries in West Africa. Since the adoption of a new constitution in 1993, Ghana has become more politically stable, but a history of coups, food shortages and corruption means the country remains poor and indebted. The three northern regions are particularly deprived, with one in ten children dying before their fifth birthday. 80% of all diseases in Ghana are caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation and more than nine million people don’t have access to safe drinking water. Our implementing partner, Water4, is planning the construction of 14 safe water points for schools in 6 communities in Ghana. In addition to the students enrolled, 5 to 8 teachers are living on or near each school campus and will also have access to the piped water resource. By providing safe water for teachers and staff, more teachers are willing to stay in these more rural areas rather than transferring to a more urban school district.
Rawelgue School
There are currently 348 students at Rawelgue School which is located in Komsilga, Burkina Faso. These students are made to walk 1.5 miles to the nearest source of water, sometimes multiple times per day. The school does not have any toilets. The students and teachers are forced to use the 'bush'. Dropout rates are high, especially for the girls in the community.
Sami Tabema Primary School
Sami Tabema, a community located about nine miles from Tikonko, is facing severe deprivation due to poverty, resulting in a lack of basic amenities. The population is about eight hundred inhabitants, with a town chief, town speaker, and other village elders. Farming is the primary source of income, although it is done on a small scale for personal consumption. The community suffers from extreme poverty, with no health care facility available. Pregnant women and children receive healthcare through the Rural Health Care Initiative (our implementing partner) outreach program.The lack of toilets and clean drinking water is a significant issue, as the community relies on nearby bushes for latrines and the Tabe River for drinking and domestic use. The community has two churches (Methodist and New Apostolic church) and a mosque. Muslims and Christians live in harmony. Around eighty percent of the houses are locally constructed with local materials. However, there is no access to electricity, and the mobile network is unreliable. The road conditions are extremely poor, especially during the rainy season, making travel difficult. While there is a motorable road to Sami, most people travel on foot due to the high cost of motorbikes, which many cannot afford. The community’s dire poverty has led to a high incidence of hunger and malnutrition, particularly among children. The prevalent diseases in the area include malaria, typhoid, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infection. The pupils at the BDEC (Bo District Education Committee) Primary School walk about 500 meters to get drinking water from the Tabe River, which is not pure for drinking. Sami Tabema is 3 miles from the nearest basic health facility. A monthly outreach clinic, supported by RHCI, takes place in Sami one day each month. The primary school at Sami Tabema, The BDEC Primary School, is a community school with approximately 260 pupils ranging from classes 1-6. The school consists of three classrooms built by the community, but they are not conducive to learning for the pupils.School days are from Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 2 PM. The curriculum includes subjects such as Mathematics, English, Social Studies, Agriculture, RME (religious and moral education), Arabic, literature, etc. The academic year consists of three terms: the first term runs from September to December, the second from January to April, and the third from April to July. Unfortunately, the school does not provide any feeding programs. Moreover, the school lacks access to water and toilet facilities, and the pupils have to rely on the nearby river for drinking water and the nearby bushes as latrines. The school operates with three community volunteer teachers who are not on the government payroll and receive minimal stipends from the community, which are often unreliable. Other villages that attend school at Sami Tabema are Foindu, Warlleh, and Sengema.
South Sudan School 3 (2024)
Our implementing partner, Water for South Sudan's, operations teams are based in Wau and work in remote villages in the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan. These isolated villages have extremely limited access to clean water, and often can only access contaminated water that will lead to sickness or even death. WFSS works with local governments and community leaders to determine the placement of wells. The goal is to create sustainable systems, incorporating well maintenance and training as part of the installation of a well.
WASH for Batey Communities
The Dominican Republic is home to approximately 230 rural communities known as “bateyes” set up around state-run sugar mills, which once formed the economic backbone of this small Caribbean nation. The bateyes are socioeconomically isolated communities previously built by the government on sugar cane plantations to house cane cutters, mostly from neighboring Haiti. Today, both Haitians and their offspring and Dominicans live in the bateyes in extreme poverty with limited access to essential services, including clean drinking water—a fundamental human right. Estimates of the populations living and working in these bateyes vary, from 200,000 to more than 1 million, and represent between 7% and 12% of the total population of the Dominican Republic. Despite their size and fundamental role in the Dominican economy, however, batey populations suffer excessively from economic isolation, extreme poverty, and water insecurity. An indicator of this greater water insecurity is that rates of childhood-related and waterborne diseases, primarily diarrhea, within the bateyes are considered three times higher than outside the bateyes. Moreover, children born of undocumented Haitian parents in the bateyes are also undocumented. They cannot attend higher levels of schooling, leading to adverse circumstances and failures. The vulnerable population also suffers from many other diseases, including HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, hypertension, diabetes, malnutrition, parasitic infections, cancers, etc.The Monte Plata province is the fourth poorest province in the country, with 84% of its population living in poverty [of a total population of 180,376 (2002) and a density of 69 people per km2]. Two out of three households risk contamination during water handling due to using dirty or inadequate containers or during transportation and storage at home. The prevalence of diarrhea is 29.1%, with the highest prevalence among children 6 to 11 and 12 to 23 months of age, at 39% and 42%, respectively. These statistics are likely to be even higher within the province's bateyes and explain why batey residents are more affected by water insecurity than those outside bateyes. If left unaddressed, this level of water insecurity could increase the vulnerability of these communities to preventable waterborne diseases and inhibit the academic growth of schoolchildren.
Agama Primary School - Well Rehab
In 2015, Drop in the Bucket, with funding from H2O for Life schools, drilled a new borehole well at Agama Primary School. This school is very well-run and has an active water committee that has done a great job of managing the well.
Amotot Primary School - Well Rehab
Amotot Primary School is located in the Eastern Region of Uganda in the city of Soroti. The school has an aging borehole well that was installed on the school property in 2014. Since the addition of this water source, the school population has risen from 334 students to 509 students who currently attend.
Amusia Primary School - Well Rehab
Amusia Primary School is located in the Eastern Region of Uganda in the city of Soroti. H2O for Life schools previously supported a borehole well that was installed on the school property in 2014. Since the addition of this water source, the school population has risen from 450 students to 640 students who currently attend.